Zara Sproul
Image of Zara Sproul

Zara Sproul

Senior Associate

Email

zara.sproul@aoshearman.com

Phone

+44 20 3088 5047

Offices

London

V-CARD
Zara primarily advises clients in the Consumer & Retail and Life Sciences/Healthcare sectors, and she is Co-Lead Associate for the Consumer & Retail Sector.

Zara is a member of the relationship team for many key clients in these sectors, and advises on a range of corporate transactions including private acquisitions, public takeovers, equity finance and general corporate advisory work. She is knowledgeable of the nuances affecting clients in these sectors and has a track record of building and maintaining extremely close client relationships and winning key mandates. Zara embeds herself in our clients’ businesses providing tailored advice both on and off transactions.

Zara also leads the Afghan Pro Bono Initiative, for which she won the firm's prizes for “Access to Justice” and “Multijurisdictional Pro Bono Effort”. The project also won the 2022 LawWorks Award for Most Effective Pro Bono Partnership, and was highly commended at The Lawyer awards for “Pro Bono Initiative of the Year” in 2023.

Expertise

Industries

Experience

Representative matters

  • Wittington Investments on the c. GBP4bn sale of Selfridges, De Bijenkorf, Brown Thomas and Arnotts in Europe. 
  • Marks and Spencer plc on the acquisition of its logistics provider, Gist, in the UK.
  • Mitsubishi on the GBP700m sale of Princes (the food and beverage retailer).
  • Christies on the sale of its real estate business. 
  • Majestic Wine on the disposal of its retail and commercial business to Fortress Investment Group. 
  • Campari Group on the acquisition of the Picon brand from Diageo.
  • L'Oreal on its acquisition of a stake in Amouage (the fastest growing fragrance brand in Oman), valuing Amouage at EUR3billion.
  • GSK on its divestment of 15 consumer healthcare brands to STADA.
  • Shionogi on its joint venture with Apnimed for the development of therapies for sleep disorders.
  • Life Healthcare on its disposal of Life Molecular Imaging to Lantheus.
  • BTG plc a global healthcare company, on the recommended offer by Boston Scientific Corporation, a US medical technology company for USD 4.3 billion.

Pro bono

  • Advising a number of Afghan nationals in the UK through the Afghan Pro Bono Initiative (a collaboration between law firms to provide legal representation for Afghan refugees).
  • Advice to individual client fleeing persecution in Iraq, leading to successful asylum in Australia.

Published Work

  • Drug formulations in life sciences transactions – https://www.aoshearman.com/en-gb/global/news-and-insights/publications/ao-hosts-webinar-on-drug-formulations-in-life-sciences-transactions
  • Global Impact of Covid-19 coronavirus on “non-Covid” clinical trials - https://www.aolifescienceshub.com/global-impact-of-covid-19-coronavirus-on-non-covid-clinical-trials/
  • COVID-19 and the life sciences sector - https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/w-025-9794?originationContext=document&transitionType=DocumentItem&contextData=(sc.Default)

Qualifications

Admissions

Admitted as a Solicitor (England and Wales) 2018

Academic

Bachelor of Arts, Geography, University of Leeds, 2013
 
Graduate Diploma in Law, BPP University, 2015
 
Legal Practice Course, BPP University, 2016  

Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.